A variety of web sites transmit music over the Internet. One manner in which this occurs involves an end user computer connected to the Internet which sends a request for music to a radio station web site. When the web site gets that request, it xe2x80x9csendsxe2x80x9d music to the user by sending various digitally-encoded packets. Typically, the radio web site transmits whatever music is broadcast at the time by the radio station. In this scenario, the user is not getting files of specific songs, but rather the opportunity to listen to a radio broadcast over the Internet instead of airwaves. When the packets arrive at the end user""s computer, the packets are reassembled in the correct order and converted into audio signals. The audio signals are then provided to the speakers connected to the computer.
There are many services which specialize in streaming music over the Internet, such as www.NetRadio.com. These services typically make a number of different audio streams available to end users. They may also be played using typical audio playing software such as RealNetworks, Inc.""s Real Player 7 and Microsoft""s Windows Media Player 7.
It is common to analogize the availability of songs from different sources or the same source as xe2x80x9cchannelsxe2x80x9d. Each channel may be considered to represent the connection between two computers whereby one computer sends audio signals to another over a network. For example, one channel on the web site www.a.com may stream rock songs whereas another channel on www.b.com may stream pop songs. When a user""s computer connects to www.a.com, the web server hosting that web site will stream the currently-playing rock song to the computer. Channels may be available from URL""s with different Internet domain names. Alternatively, two channels may originate from the same web site and server. In other words, two channels may comprise a computer simultaneously accessing two different songs from the same web server at the same time. For example, each of the two songs may be divided into discrete pieces of data, with a piece of the first song arriving, then a piece of the second song arriving, then another piece of the first song arriving, then another piece of the second song arriving, etc.
One of the current problems with Internet music channels is the number of available channels. There may be hundreds of channels to choose from and it is often difficult for the user to find a song they want to hear. Moreover, even if the user finds a song on a channel they like, the next song on the channel may not be as interesting to the user as another song on another channel.
The present invention addresses the foregoing issues. In one aspect, a method of selecting content is provided and includes: playing first data representative of first content having a beginning and an end, the first data streaming via a first channel during a first time period; selecting second data representative of second content having a beginning and an end, the second content streaming via a second channel during a second time period such that the beginning of the second time period occurs a duration of time after the end of the first time period; retrieving third content based on the length of the duration of time; between the start time and stop time of the first song, accessing streaming data associated with the first song; between the start time and stop time of the second song, accessing streaming data associated with the second song; playing the first song; playing the third content after the first content; and playing the second content after the third content.
In another aspect, a method of transitioning between songs includes: playing a first song; identifying a second song to be streamed after the end of the first song; if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, retrieving audio information; at the end of the first song, playing the retrieved audio information; and playing the second song after it begins streaming and after the end of the retrieved audio information.
A further aspect relates to a method of transitioning between songs. This method includes playing a first song; identifying, based on information relating to a user, a second song to be streamed after the end of the first song; if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, then retrieving audio information based on the duration and playing the retrieved audio information between the end of the first song and the beginning of the second song; and if the second song begins before the end of the first song, then storing the second song in memory as it streams and playing, from the memory, the second song after the end of the first song.
Yet another aspect provides a system for playing songs having a processor capable of executing instructions and a connection to a network streaming songs. The instructions include: identifying a second song to be streamed after the end of a first streaming song, if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, retrieving audio information based on the duration of time and, at the end of the first song, playing the retrieved audio information followed by the second song.
Yet a further aspect provides a computer-readable medium including instructions for: playing a first song; identifying a second song to be streamed after the end of the first song; if the second song begins a duration of time after the end of the first song, retrieving audio information based on the duration of time; at the end of the first song, playing the retrieved audio information; playing the second song after it begins streaming and after the end of the retrieved audio information.
It is understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, are included to illustrate and provide a further understanding of the system and method of the invention. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain the principles of the invention.